Islamic Art Center

Many things in Dubai were fascinating but one of the highlights of my trip was our visit to the Miraj Islamic Art Center. I could not take photos there but click on the link below to see some images and a write up. (you need to left-click on the page to make it big enough to read).
http://issuu.com/kalimat_group/docs/ta_dec_008/48 .

Unfortunately, the center does not have a website.
The following description from another newspaper article is pretty adequate:
"Miraj Islamic Art Centre is a unique blend: a museum, showroom and a showcase for creative art forms from the world of Islam. Miraj takes the best creative art forms of last 500 years and combines them with cutting-edge design and techniques to make objects d’art for today’s lifestyle.Miraj Islamic Art Centre is a cornucopia of decorative splendours of the bygone era."

I have truly never seen work of this quality of refinement and workmanship. Although one of their major goals is to sell the artwork, there is no pressure on the visitors. A young man from Kashmir took us around the showrooms and explained to us the various techniques and objects. If you look at the photos on the link above, you may get a little idea of what it was like, but no words can come close to help me share the experience. Needless to say, because of the quality of the objects, the prices were way beyond our means, but as an artist myself, I had no problem understanding why. One of the art forms that really fascinated me the most, and unfortunately it is neither mentioned nor photographed in the magazine article, was bejewelled carpets. I must humbly admit that I did not know anything about them and I no idea there was such a thing. There were a few rooms filled with them. They are not to put on the floor but are used as wall-hanging. I am still completely in awe. I am searching the web to find out more information and hopefully images before I tell you more about them and I will try to add more about my trip within the next few days....so keep in touch!